14 years of school lunchboxes

The other night, we were watching Extra Virgin and the episode began with Gabriele Corcos preparing a pasta dish for his daughters’ lunch boxes. The girls went off and there was Gabriele talking about preparing his girls’ lunch boxes for two reasons: (1) it was a way of showing his love for his girls and (2) it was a matter of pride.

I understood completely. And, without any conscious attempt, I was transported to a morning many, many years ago. I had just walked the girls to their pre-school, we were entering the gate and there was another mom, young son in tow, hurriedly buying a pack of biscuits from the canteen and even more hurriedly stuffing it into the boy’s lunchbox while urging him to walk faster so he wouldn’t be late for class. That scene will forever be etched in my mind because it exemplifies all the reasons why, day in and day out, I took the trouble of cooking and packing home cooked food into my daughters’ lunch boxes.

I’m not passing judgment on mothers who don’t do the same thing. Some mothers work outside the house and time is a luxury. Some mothers don’t cook. Some mothers delegate the job of feeding their kids and seeing them off to school to the yayas. Some mothers just don’t see why it’s such a big deal anyway when it’s so much simpler to hand the kid some money and let him buy from the school canteen. I don’t know what the reasons are of some mothers for not preparing their children’s lunch boxes, it’s really not my business to pry, but I know I cared enough for my kids to take the trouble of knowing what they ate, how much and when. I’m just lucky I had the luxury of time and that I actually enjoy, and have always enjoyed, cooking.

So, Gabriele Corcos was saying that preparing his daughters packed lunches was both a matter of pride and one way of showing his love. That it is one way of showing love is self-explanatory. Now that the girls are in college, it’s that showing my love thing that makes me cook up a storm on weekends when the girls are home.

MY LATEST VIDEOS

MY LATEST VIDEOS

But why a matter of pride?

By the time my daughters were in high school, what they had in their lunch boxes for the day had become a much anticipated thing. Classmates were curious. They would ask for a bite. They would exclaim with delight and appreciation — all of which my daughters reported back to me with joy in their faces.

I suppose it was a matter of pride for them too — I took the trouble because they were important to me and they felt important among peers because they had something — home cooked food in their lunch boxes — that many others didn’t.

And it made me feel good and proud that I could do something that people other than my own family appreciated. It made me feel all warm and glowing to know that there was something I could do well — very well — and others were aware of my skill or gift or whatever you want to call it.

It’s human. We all hanker for appreciation and praise once in a while. Often, if at all possible. In the case of my daughters’ lunch boxes, that appreciation came at least five times a week from many different sources. And to show my appreciation for their classmates’ appreciation, the time came when I’d pack twice as much food for the girls so that they could share more.

I don’t prepare lunch boxes anymore now that my daughters are all grown up and have partly flown the coop. Apart from the weekend feasts, there are so many other ways by which I show my love for them. But coming up with good eats everyday is already a matter of habit and a way of life. Not in any extravagant sense but simply because it is a smart policy to live by. It’s an exercise in creativity, it’s a never ending challenge (especially how to cook good food without spending a ton) and I have you readers who are so good at showing your appreciation. Most of you don’t bother to leave comments but the hundreds of thousands of page views. many of which are repeat visits, have to mean something in the context of reader appreciation, I think.

And, of course, there’s Speedy. Sometimes, when I have to do a lot of writing, he’d say there’s no need to cook and he could eat anything. But I often tell him that I have to cook something nice everyday because when we got married, I promised his mother than her son would always eat delicious food. Of course, I never made that promise. But I might as well have because that’s the mantra I live by. Speedy and I have to eat something nice everyday. Even if we have sandwiches for two meals, the remaining meal has to be something special and nice. We work hard and we deserve little luxuries like that everyday to remind ourselves that we are important too just as much as our two girls.

More Like This

Reader Interactions

Comments

I love bring “baon” be it snacks or lunch so I can save my allowance :) seriously, in grade school days, my mom would pack snacks for recess then we go home during lunch. But when I’m already in higher grade, I buy from the canteen just like my other friends. In HS, my lola prepares my baon. My mom’s older brother would bring it to me in the morning…everyday….until my lola got sick so she stopped preparing lunches. Since then, my mom prepares my baon though there will be days she’ll just give me money because she hasn’t prepared anything. My mom works too. Well, I suddenly remembered my Tito and Lola who are both gone now :)

Hay naku, my nephew doesn’t realize how lucky he is that his lola gets up very early in the morning to prepare his baon! He doesn’t always finish his baon! When my mom cooks extra, I always ask for some for my baon… hehehe (because I live right next door lang… ha ha). I had home cooked meals for lunch nearly every day of my school life from elementary to high school. But, yeah, it’s also a matter of pride for me when I prepare my husband’s baon (night shift sya so I have time to cook when I get home from work, when I still have leftover energy)–inggit daw officemates nya kasi THEY have to eat fast food. And most of the dishes I pack come from casaveneracion. ;-) His favorite dish so far? The Macaroni Chicken Casserole (I forgot the exact name but you’ll know which dish I mean) :-D Keep cooking! Especially because you inspire many wannabe cooks like me to experiment and keep trying… hehehe.

Ms. Connie, your children are blessed to have a mom like you who cared enough to provide them with delicious lunches..someday they will do the same to their children. My mom is 90 and she lives with us, would you believe she still makes our “baon” for us? I told her not to, but she insists, and the return she gets? lots of hugs and kisses from my daughter, and gratitude from me every single day. Even though my children were born and raised in the states, they still call it “Baon”, guess they have no english name for it, just simply their “baon”

This is the first time I cried after reading your article, somehow i felt guilty for not being able to do the same for my kids. I know being a working mom is not an excuse thank you it reminded me that those simple things should not be taken for granted.

I surely can relate, Ms. Connie on showing love and being also a matter of pride :) My two kids are in grade school and up to now they don’t bring money to school, i’m making sure that their lunchboxes are filled with freshly prepared foods that will nourish them and a big bottle of water aside from their favorite beverages. And they always come home telling me that their classmates and even teachers are impressed with their baon. Sure, the thought of giving them store bought baons is enticing and have succumbed a few times, but i felt guilty after :( Depriving myself of few minutes of sleep to prepare their meals are definitely worth it, because i know my kids are not eating crap :)

it’s my first time to comment here but i have been regulary reading your blog because your recipes are easy to follow and your entries about your family is so heartwarming. I wish na in time i’d be able to prepare my son’s baon (he’s just 1) kasi right now dami ko pang epic fail na cooking attempt (imagine napagkalang binagoongan yung adobo ko hehe)

Beth, it makes your mom happy to do it. Matter of love and pride, really. :)

Jopin, I didn’t mean to make anyone feel guilty… :sad: I’m sure you show your love for your kids in other ways. It’s just that in these days of junk food in school canteens, it’s easier to train kids to eat and like real food above junk food with packed school lunches from the time they’re in pre-school.

Dennis, I guess parents everywhere feel the same. :)

Liz T., oh I know what you mean by sleep deprivation. hahaha I’m not a morning person, I never really was, and I trained myself to cook with practically one eye closed and yawning every few minutes hahaha

Dewi ok lang yun. My mom-in-law says binagoongan is just adobo with a tablespoonful of bagoong. And by the time your son’s in pre-school you’d have had lots of practice. :)

It’s a good feeling for mothers that you know that your taking good care of your kids, lalo na sa pagkain nila, i really don’t regret to be a full time mom. It’s also a good thing that their school choose not to have a canteen, for parents will surely know what their kids are eating.

I’m 26, working, but I still bring packed lunch to work as much as I can. Not only does it save me money (that I spend when we eat out during fridays but I also bring baon for convenience. i no longer need to fall in line at the canteen and I can even eat in my desk. When we don’t have food at home that I can bring to work, I buy sa madadaanan but I still bring my lunchbox para dun ilalagay ng tindera yung ulam. I don’t like the idea of eating in a plastic bag or a styro box. If it’s not much of a problem, sana may special tag or something on your recipes for us to determine if a recipe is ideal as baon meaning its easy to pack and doesn’t spoil easily and also affordable.

There is a lunchbox category. On the left sidebar and at the end of this post that you’re commenting on. AS for spoilage, it’s less about the kind of food than how it is packed, the nature and quality of the container and where it is left sitting until meal time.

Connie, this reminds me of my high school days when a classmate shares her homecooked lunches with me. mainit init pa at naka thermos because her mom makes sure her lunch is delivered by the driver minutes before our lunch break. yung baon ko hindi ko nauubos kasi mas gusto ko yung ulam nya. but i appreciate my mom’s effort in preparing my baon. gusto ko rin pag may baon di ka na pipila sa canteen, w/c i hate. just imagine, one day your daughters will be preparing the baons for their kids and they will remember you and the love you poured into those home cooked meals. it’s all worth it!

I can definitely relate to this. My Mom prepared/supervised my baon till she could no longer cook. In grade school, it was sandwiches, in high school I’d sometimes have half a chicken for lunch (it became a whole chicken when my Mom found out my classmates would have some). In college, it didn’t happen much but when it did, it made a good impression that my friends would always visit my house, and my Mom was always ready with burgers, pizza, pasta, etc. When i started to work, my baon would be up for grabs when i had a lunch out. It was usually offered to the head of the department first, and if he declines, my office mates would take turns on who would be the lucky one. Now, it’s my turn to cook. :)

Your blog is my go-to-site if I need to cook up something new. I grew up in a family na may galing sa pagluluto but the type na kailangan laging kumpleto ang ingredients. You were the one who inspired me hindi kailangang laging ganun. In other words, you brought out the creative side of me. Pati nga presentation kina-career ko na rin. Minsan nagkasabay-sabay na 3 ang may baon ng adobo sa kila hubby, may nagcomment na alam daw nya kung alin dun ang kay hubby just by looking at them- yung pinakamaganda ang presentation.

Cooking for me is not a task. It is actually my stress-buster. It brings me joy (also pride) kapag nakakapagconcoct ako ng something new that my hubby and his co-workers appreciate. Aside from the fact na sa homecooked meals ay ikaw ang may control sa salt and fat contents ng food mo, suited pa ito sa panlasa ng family mo. Medyo maingat kasi ako sa dalawang ito (salt and fats) dahil high blood and diabetes runs in the family. It gives me so much pride kapag naririnig ko si hubby na sinasabi na “hindi kagaya ng luto mo” ang luto ng iba. Admittedly, very tempting talaga na store-bought food na lang ang kainin namin kapag talagang super hectic ang sched. There was a time na may full time and part time jobs ako and at the same time pumapasok rin ako sa night school. Dun ko napatunayan talaga na time is gold. But I didn’t use it as an excuse to eat crappy food. This is when I started practising bulk-cooking. I cooked 4 to 5 dishes on the weekend and put them away in containers ready to be reheated when needed. I find bulk cooking more economical kasi I’m forced to plan our meals ahead of time. I get to use most of the veggies that I buy for that week (wala kasing tingi-tingi dito). Hindi rin kailangan na parehong ulam ang kainin namin for two consecutive meals.

I did both. Some days I was the super mom whose kids go off with something homecooked and delicious for lunch, and other times I was the mom sticking cookies or chips in their bag just so they won’t sit there with nothing to munch on. lol! I do remember visiting your blog a lot though, to get inspiration on what to fix for their lunch :)

My college age daughter still brings baon to school. Funny because we were just talking about this last night — the comments she gets when friends notice she eats brown rice (a staple in our household) and how a couple of her male friends also bring baon in nice lunch boxes pa (!),

I try my best to prepare baon for my kids everyday. It’s my way of making sure that they eat well and right. :) For my high school child, it’s lunch and snacks. And for my college kids, it’s not always lunch baon. Sometimes it’s as simple as a sandwich or snack like pancakes or waffles. Basta may baon para hindi magutom. And of course, water. :)

You “hit it in the head”, Connie. I am in the US (east coast) and used to live a very hectic life but cooked dinner 99% of the time for my husband and 2 kids. I totally agree with everything that you said and thank you for the enlightenment on why we do this! Another local scenario here is potluck with friends (mostly Pinoys). I belong to the 1% who always bring home cooked dish. My take here is or the message I am trying to impart is: I care enough about you to socialize with you regularly and that it is my pleasure to exert effort in preparing a good (hopefully) dish. Most, just go out and order or go to a Fil. store and buy whatever is available! I really can’t understand this! These people know what good food is (my dish is the 1st to be finished) but just buy/order/bring mediocre food to get together/potluck. Is it because they don’t care or cannot be bothered or just plain laziness or all of the above? This is really my pet peeve. Don’t tell me not socialize with them to end my aggravation (hahaha), because other than the mediocre food, I enjoy being with them. Thanks for letting me vent.

Im now living in Sweden, and back in the Philippines my Mom (thanks to our cook) always made sure that our lunch boxes were filled with home cooked food for recess and lunch time.

I appreciate what she (and the cook lol) have done for us, and thanks to them. I am now making my husbands lunchbox everyday. He gets so excited to open whats in store for him during lunch. His friends would most of the time peep sideways to check out what he’s having. Thanks to you Connie, we have staples from your recipe list. His favorites are the Korean Beef Stew, Baked Macaroni and Vietnamese Stew.

I grew up with a packed lunch every single day at school. At first I did not realize how tedious it is to prepare. From planning, to preparing and reminding that oy! baon mo?!? I now appreciate how my parents always and always yell at me not to forget my lunch box. Now that I have my own family, my husband prefers for a packed lunch over eating outside. Sabi nya mas sigurado daw sya sa kinakain nya unlike sa labas. We have 2 lunch box at home but I know in the future we’ll have 4. Mothers are less appreciated however there will be time in our husband and children’s life that they commend us in there own little way.

my daughter will be attending preschool in september and i have been worried what kind of food i will be packing for her lunch. i dread buying those lunchables at the grocery. thank you for the “school lunchbox” tag on your website. it will help me a lot! one question, are these lunches to be eaten warm, room temperature or a little cold (from the ice pack)? sorry if it’s a dumb question. i bring my lunch to work but we have a microwave in the office so i always warm mine before eating. however from what i know they don’t warm the baon in school.

Hi Connie. My first just started preschool this June, and I’ve started preparing her lunchbox (technically, snack box since she doesn’t eat lunch at school ;p). As much as I can, I try to prepare healthy snacks, from scratch. And yes, it’s a matter of pride also–I don’t want to send her to school with overly-sugared cookies, but I want her to enjoy eating healthy stuff. And yes, I would want her classmates to be intrigued and want to eat her baon (so far no takers, though she finishes her baon). I’m just wondering how long I can keep it up! A month into school, I’ve stuffed Skyflakes and Bread Stix and Graham crackers and Oaties in her box many, many times. *sigh* What more when it’s time to prepare an actual lunch? Anyway, I just want to say (again) that I really enjoy your website, and that I’ve added several of your recipes to my regular rotation of meals. Thanks!

My 4 year old daughter is transferring to a school where snacks and lunches are provided by the school. You can choose and tick off your preferences from a list they will provide in advance. I appreciate the convenience but there is a big part of me that is sad that I won’t be preparing her baon just like my mom and lolo used to do.

The high school where the girls went to had that service and we tried it. The girls started whining after two weeks. The food was lousy and there was not enough ulam. So, it was back to packed lunch boxes.

I send home prepared baon (even if it’s just PBJ) with my son to school because I don’t want him to get used to the too rich, too salty, too sweet, too oily, too large in proportion that often goes with commercially prepared food (even if they are labeled “healthier”). I also want to monitor just how much food he finishes too (which is not too much, him being a kindergartener, loves to talk and lunch hour is only 20 minutes). Sometimes he would ask me if I could send with him Lunchables (a lunch pack of crackers, cheese, cold cuts with a piece of candy and sometimes juice) like his classmate only because of the Airheads candy.

Now that you mention proportions… my goodness, the serving portions in the States are huge. And it’s like a contest on which eatery serves the bigger portions. If kids gets used to that from an early age, it’ll be difficult to shake off the mindset that you’re not full unless you’ve consumed a huge platter of food.

My kids, though still in grade school, spend their whole day in school. Since school is just a 5-minute drive away from our place, they go home during lunch break and goes back to school before 1PM. However, I still oblige myself to prepare a baon for them so that they have something nutritious for their morning recess. most of the time, they are fresh fruits, waffles, pancakes, peanut butter sandwich,

My love for cooking started when I was still an OFW. Thanks to your website, I not only learned how to cook but I also impressed my room mates with the dishes that I was able to create. Now that I’m a stay-at-home wife, I love preparing my husband’s lunchbox. His office mates are always curious about his baon because hindi daw yung usual na hotdog or longganisa or corned beef ang pinapabaon ko. And even if it’s just longganisa, siguradong may twist daw sa luto ko kaya siguradong masarap (according to one office mate). It gives me so much joy to hear those praises di lang galing sa asawa ko but from other people as well. It makes all the effort worth it.

PS. (medyo out of topic) Tama si Carol B., you brought out my creative side too. Nung una, I follow your recipes by the book. Takot akong mag-try if I lack even one ingredient or if it looks too intimidating for me. But soon, I learned how to trust my instincts.

Hi Ms. Connie, I came across your article today because I was searching for “baon” ideas for my 8-yr old daughter. Like you, I personally prepare her daily snack and lunch for school. Most of the time, she would come home and tell me that her classmates loved her food and they think I am the best cook. So I need to keep on reinventing and innovating to live up to their expectations! :)

I work from 2pm to 11pm and I don’t mind staying up until wee hours in the morning just to ensure that my family wakes up with healthy and delicious meals. I love being a wife and mom!

Hi Ms. Connie, This reminds of all those times my mother made “baon” for me from gradeschool to HS. My lunchbox would make rounds in the classroom because my classmates prefer my baon over the cafeteria food. When I started working, mother would pack ulam that’s good for 2 people because my officemates would always ask for some of my food. Dumating sa point where my officemates were asking if they can just “order” lunch from my mother, hahaha! I hope when I have kids someday, I could do the same for them :)

Hi Ms. Connie. Thank you for this article. I am one of your fans since 2003, was single then and now with two kids. I got teary eyed about the other mom with biscuits for his son. I admit I am like her. I tried to packed baon before but most of the time, half of the food were uneaten. :( They are saying, time is not enough to finish their food. My son also is so picky. I’m also working with 8-5 sched. I know so many excuses but I know I can do better. I’ll post this article on my ref. Thank you so so much.

Hi Ms. Connie. Thank you for this article. I am one of your fans since 2003, was single then and now with two kids. I got teary eyed about the other mom with biscuits for his son. I admit I am like her. I tried to packed baon before but most of the time, half of the food were uneaten. :( They are saying, time is not enough to finish their food. My son also is so picky. I’m also working with 8-5 sched. I know so many excuses but I know I can do better. I’ll post this article on my ref. Thank you so so much.

Hi Ms. Connie. Thank you for this article. I am one of your fans since 2003, was single then and now with two kids. I got teary eyed about the other mom with biscuits for his son. I admit I am like her. I tried to packed baon before but most of the time, half of the food were uneaten. :( They are saying, time is not enough to finish their food. My son also is so picky. I’m also working with 8-5 sched. I know so many excuses but I know I can do better. I’ll post this article on my ref. Thank you so so much.